Senators also asked the FCC to delay its vote because of the fake comments.

Eleven Democrats from the House of Representatives have called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate fake comments that appeared to have posted on the Federal Communication Commission‘s website during the public comment period for its plan to dismantle net neutrality rules.

The letter asks the GAO to investigate the “extent and pervasiveness of fraud and the misuse of American identities” during the open comment period for the FCC’s plan to rescind the Obama-era rules that protect net neutrality, a founding principle of the internet that ensures all internet traffic is treated fairly.

“We understand that the FCC’s rulemaking process requires it to address all comments it receives, regardless of who submits them,” the letter reads. “However, we do not believe any outside parties should be permitted to generate any comments to any federal governmental entity using information it knows to be false, such as the identities of those submitting the comments.”

The public comment for the FCC’s plan has been scrutinized, culminating in an investigation by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. The attorney general said they reviewed the more than 22 million comments submitted to the FCC and that “hundreds of thousands of Americans” had their identities stolen.

Andrew Wyrich is a politics staff writer for the Daily Dot, covering the intersection of politics and the internet. Andrew has written for USA Today, NorthJersey.com, and other newspapers and websites. His work has been recognized by the Society of the Silurians, Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE), and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).